


Confessions after a 36 Hour Work Day

by TVandTalkies



Series: The Anatomy of Meredith Grey [2]
Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: Comfort, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-04
Updated: 2017-12-04
Packaged: 2019-02-10 18:11:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12917427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TVandTalkies/pseuds/TVandTalkies
Summary: It’s been a year since Jo died. Five years since Derek. Meredith realized her feeling for Alex long ago but never acted on them. He was taken. Not interested. Happy. He was happy. Now though... he could be hers. She could be his happy. They could be happyFirst time posting. Be kind





	1. Chapter 1

Jo Wilson died over a year ago. Meredith had seen it happen. She’d seen the stupid fall that had lead to paralysis, fought hard to save the young doctor when her bowel started to shut down, and had held Jo’s hand when the light faded from her eyes. Jo hadn’t asked for Alex then. She had asked for Meredith.

“Take care of him,” Jo asked. 

And she’d been trying. Really, she had. She knew what Alex was going through. Had been through it herself when Derek died five years ago almost to the day. But Alex didn’t have the obligations she had. He didn’t have the kids or the annoying sisters making him get out of bed. Meredith had resented it at the time. Now she understood. They had saved her.

Alex didn’t have that. He had her.


	2. Chapter 2

“Earth to Mer. You in there” Alex asked while shining his pen light in her eyes. 

Meredith groaned. “Go away, Alex. I was almost asleep.”

Alex leaned over her slumped form, grabbed her by the waist, and threw her over his shoulder. “Alex,” she laughed. “Stop that! Put me down! How will the residents learn to properly fear me if you make me look like an idiot?”

“Right,” he chuckled. “Like they were ever going to be intimidated by someone who fell asleep on the floor in the hallway and now has a little drool mark on their scrubs.”

“I do not!”

“Wanna bet?”

“Seriously, put me down,” she laughed. “I’m awake. I swear.”

Meredith’s feet hit the floor gently and she looked up at one of her oldest friends. When had his face become so dear to her? She didn’t know, but something had changed after Derek died. Alex had been there for her. He got through to her. He made her furious, he made her laugh, he watched the kids. He just was... Alex. 

She realized that she had fallen a little in love with him after he and Jo reconciled. Instead of being happy, she was jealous. She was glad they were so content, but she couldn’t help but be envious of their shared laughter and small touches. She missed it. She missed him. 

Then Jo died and her feeling didn’t matter. Alex held it together. Well, he held it together in the sense that he put his fist through a wall, drank a bottle of tequila, and then smashed his car to pieces with a baseball bat. Still, she had expected worse. 

He didn’t run like she had when Derek died. Instead, he had buried himself in work. He’d saved more children in the last year than he had in the last three and Meredith couldn’t help but feel proud of the incredible surgeon Alex had become. 

But he wasn’t happy. She could tell. He was holding back. He was more calculating than usual. More distant. Just a little colder. His eyes never crinkled around the corners when he smiled unless he was talking to her or to a child. She wanted that to change. She’d told Jo she would look after him, so she would.

“What time is it?” She asked.

Alex looked behind her and squinted. She really needed to convince him to get glasses. “It’s a little after 1am.”

“Shit!” Meredith exhaled. “The kids! I left the kids with Arizona. She’s going to kill me.”

“It’s ok,” Alex told her reassuringly. “I called her at ten and told her your surgery was running long. She said it’s fine but that you owe her a bottle of wine and a new rug for the kitchen. Apparently Bailey got a little too excited at dinner and made a mess.”

“Alex, have I ever told you that you’re my hero?”

He playfully shoved her shoulder. “Like you and those kids would be alive without me. You’d probably be off in the woods foraging for food and sewing together clothes with your surgical instruments.”

“Please,” she rolled her eyes. “Like Amelia and Maggie would let that happen.

“Pffft... Maggie would give up trying to help you after a few months. Amelia would probably join you. Take up taxedermy or something. To pass the time. Actually, that might be a good hobby for her. I’m going to talk to her about it.”

“Don’t you dare!”

“What? Don’t want to come home to little stuffed squirrels all over the house? You could make little squirrel viallges. Dress them up in little clothes. Have little squirrel town hall meetings. People need hobbies, Mer. Why are you trying to take this from her?”

“Remind me again why I’m friends with you?”

“Because I’m going to give you a ride home now so that you don’t end up spending the night in the on-call room. You get to sleep in your own bed.”

“Have I ever mentioned that you’re my hero?”

“Hmmmm... nope. Don’t think so,” he laughed as they looped their arms together and walked out the door.

“Take me home, Alex.”


	3. Chapter 3

The drive home was mostly uneventful. Mostly.

During the drive Meredith had tried to talk to Alex about the new nurse at the hospital. “She likes you, you know.”

“Yeah. I bet she does,” he answered. “I’m done with that though, Mer. No one should be with me.”

Meredith pondered over that. “What if I told you that I was thinking about dating someone?”

“Who? The new guy in Ortho? That guy is a douche nugget.”

“No. Someone I’ve known a while. Someone,” she breathed, “more familiar.”

“Oh,” he said hands clenching just a little on the wheel. “Who? Oh, God! Not Owen?! Mer, that would be like all kinds of incestuous. First Yang then Amelia.”

“Gross. No! Jesus, Alex. I’m not going to date Owen Hunt! I mean, he’s a great guy and great with the kids, but ewwwww”

He pulled the car into the drive and they both get out heading towards the house. This had become their routine. He’d make sure she got inside ok, wait a few minutes in the driveway to make sure she didn’t need anything, and then leave. 

They stopped at the door.

“So who’s the guy, Mer?”

Meredith paused. This was it. She was going to tell him. She’d wanted to tell him for weeks, months, years at this point. She’d chickened our before, but tonight, with no tequila in sight, she was going to say it.

“You,” she said as she looked into his eyes.

He took a step back and shook his head. “Me?”

“You,” she said again.

“Me?” He looked at her.

“You, Alex. I think we should be more than friends. I think we have been more than friends for a while, but...” she paused. “Life’s been complicated.”

He turned around facing away from the house. Away from her. “Me,” he softly breathed out. “You want to date me?”

Meredith rolled her eyes, “No, Alex! Right now I want to check you for a head trauma because I’m fairly certain your brain has stopped working! Yes, you.”

“You can’t date me, Mer.”

“Why not?”

He whirled around, eyes alight with fear and something else. “Because I’m cursed, Meredith. Cursed! First Izzie, then Ava, now Jo!” 

“Did you ever stop to think that maybe I’m cursed too?!” 

“Doesn’t matter!” 

“What?! Why the hell not?” 

“Because it’s different! You’re different!” 

“Oh, so I’m a freak? No love for Meredith? She had her one great love and now she just has to rot away so we can all feel sad for her? You suck, Alex!”

“That’s not what I’m saying!”

“Then tell me what you are saying!”

“It’s you! It’s the kids! You’ve got the kids, Mer. And I love them so much. And you... I love you, Mer. If anything happened to you... how am I supposed to look at those kids and tell them it’ll be ok when I know it won’t be? It would break me to lose you. And it would break them. I can’t be broken again! I can’t!”

Meredith’s shoulders drop. Her head bows, and her shoulders start to shake. Not with tears, but with laughter. 

“It’s not funny, Mer! This keeps me up at night!”

Meredith leans in and kisses him. The kiss is long and deep. New and familiar. It feels right. It feels like coming home. “We need to find another way to keep you up at night.” 

She takes his hand and leads him into the house. They can talk more in the morning.


End file.
